Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) is one of the best Disney events of fall! We have attended this party several times and have absolutely loved it every time. With special entertainment, rare characters, and the chance to get bags full of candy trick-or-treating, we really recommend working this party into your fall Disney plans if you can!
You can find dates for 2023 parties and purchase tickets on Disney’s website here. When you get there, pickup a map/times guide as you enter the park. Even if you already know your way around Magic Kingdom, this is going to give you all the treat trail locations, character meet spots, and parade and show times that are specific to the party. In addition to these things, I have a few tips and tricks you should know before you go!
Dress cool and comfortable
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party usually kicks off in August and goes through Halloween. August and September in Orlando are extremely hot and humid, and even October still feels like summer. Whether you’re dressing in costume or not, you will want to stay cool and comfortable.
When we attended the party in 2019, my son wanted to dress as Captain America. We got a costume for free from a friend—one of those ones that’s long-pant and long-sleeve with the puffy muscles. Liam lasted less than two minutes with that on in the park before he got overheated and had to take it off. Don’t make the same rookie mistake we did!
If you’re thinking about dressing up and are looking for ideas, I have a whole list of easy, affordable, and cool/comfy Disney halloween costumes here!
Get there early
A ticket for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party won’t get you into Magic Kingdom for the whole day, but it will get you in as early as 4:00pm! The party doesn’t officially start until 7:00pm, but if you’re waiting until 7:00 to get to Magic Kingdom, you’re missing out on some valuable park time! I recommend getting to Magic Kingdom around 3:45pm. Look for the lines labeled for party guests and enter there. Once you tap in, you’ll get a special wristband that designates you as a party guest and you’re good to go!
None of the party-specific stuff will start until the official party start time (with the exception of a few popular rare characters—see below), but between 4:00–7:00 is a great time to grab dinner, shop on Main Street, and ride a few rides before the party officially starts.
If you want to meet characters, do that first
One of the most popular parts of MNSSHP is all the rare character meet and greets. These include Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Mickey and Minnie (and Donald and Goofy) in their Halloween costumes, Pooh and friends in their Halloween costumes, multiple Disney villains, and more. If you’re wanting to do meet and greets with these characters, get in line early. Jack and Sally are the most popular and the line gets long early and stays that way all through the party. I recommend getting in line for that one as soon as you enter Magic Kingdom (they meet in the Town Square Theater).
Jack and Sally, Pooh and friends, and sometimes Minnie/Donald/Goofy have been known to start meeting before the party officially starts, so keep that in mind! They will also cut off the lines before the very end of the party if they’re very long, so if one of these meet and greets is high priority for you do it first thing!
Watch the second parade
The Boo to You Parade is, in my opinion, the BEST part of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. And luckily it runs twice every night! Pick up a times guide and map as you enter the park, and the times for the parade (plus the stage show and fireworks) will be listed in there!
This parade is absolutely worth watching twice, but if you’re only going to watch it once I recommend going for the second one. It’s usually less crowded! And by only watching once, you’ll have more time to do other party things you might not want to miss.
My only exception to this rule is if the weather is bad or it looks like it might rain for the second parade. If it’s raining, the parade could be canceled or modified, so you might want to try to catch the first one just in case. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this parade!
As a side note, the Hocus Pocus stage show happens multiple times throughout the party. The same weather rules apply here, but you definitely have more chances to catch this one. (And it’s really worth seeing! The performers are so talented!) This will also usually be less crowded at the later times.
Save trick-or-treating for the end of the night
Finally, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party includes multiple trick-or-treat trails where you can get candy! When you enter the park and/or get your party wristband, cast members will also be handing out bags to use for trick-or-treating. Make sure you grab one! Disney hands out the good candy—no cheap stuff here!
The trick-or-treat trails tend to rack up longer lines at the beginning of the night when lots of people stop for them as soon as they see them. But if you wait until the end of the night there will barely be any lines AND the cast members are a bit more generous with the candy!
Manage your expectations and HAVE FUN!
MNSSHP is super popular and dates often sell out. It will be crowded! And you won’t be able to do it all. This party is packed full of things to see, eat, and do. I didn’t even talk about the rides that have special overlays (Pirates of the Caribbean, Mad Tea Party, Space Mountain, and Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor) or all of the special halloween treats (from funnel cakes to hand pies!). Basically there’s so much happening at this party that you’d never be able to do it all in one night, no matter how much you maximize your time. I recommend using the party time to concentrate on doing party-specific things, especially if you have another day of your trip to visit Magic Kingdom. Pick 2–3 high priority items and then count the rest as a bonus.
If you go in with reasonable expectations of what the crowds will be like, you can still have a fantastic time. Enjoy the not-so-scary, spooky vibes! (It’s my favorite!)
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Have you been Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party yet? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love to hear about your experience.
